Texas Standard

It’s almost time to turn the page on 2025, but we’re stretching out Texas Standard’s 10th birthday celebration a little longer with our 10 favorite book interviews from the past decade.   It’s a list that includes children’s books, young adult literature, and books diving deep into history. Join us as we count them down.  The post Our top 10 books stories of the past decade  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Just a few weeks ago, the editors and producers of the Texas Standard made out their lists and checked them twice, picking out stories from the past year that filled them with a certain sense of uplift – something that can at times seem so elusive.   In the spirit of the season, we’re sharing some of these feel-good stories with you on a special Christmas Day edition of the Texas Standard.  The post Stories to warm your heart this Christmas  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Music is a huge part of what makes Texas what it is. And as part of Texas Standard’s yearlong 10th birthday celebration, we’re celebrating our top 10 favorite music stories from the past decade.   Those include an exclusive interview with Phil Collins at the Alamo, an expansive conversation with the boundary-pushing band Khruangbin, and deep dives into the lives and legacies of Texas greats Johnny Canales and Nanci Griffith.  We’ll also hear from the man entrusted to take care of Willie Nelson’s guitar – and much more.  The post Our top 10 music stories of the past decade  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

How will you remember 2025? This hour we’re listening back to some of our favorite stories of the year from reporters with the Texas Standard and Texas Newsroom.  Remember the author of “Holes,” who made a sharp turn in 2025? Or when it was blazing hot outside and the swimming pool became too irresistible to say no to? What about the rise and rise of Labubus?   All this and more on a special holiday edition of the Texas Standard.   The post Our favorite stories from the Texas Standard and Texas Newsroom  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

This holiday season, we’ve been listening back to some of the most compelling reporting by our in-house journalists here at the Texas Standard, as well as a team of public media reporters statewide known as The Texas Newsroom.   From an effort to help more adults complete a high school education, to a mystery Bible in Boerne, to the long-awaited launch of a new college football team in the Rio Grande Valley, you’re in for a treat on this special edition of the Texas Standard.    The post The best of the Texas Standard and Texas Newsroom in 2025  appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Politicians can raise a lot of money running for election. But what happens to it when the campaign trail ends? Elected officials in Texas have a loophole to help them spend the money they raise on campaigns after they retire. How many concert venues have made it 75 years? We’ll take a tour of Dallas’ historic Longhorn Ballroom.All that plus the latest political headlines, SpaceX going public, and the Typewriter Rodeo. The post Dallas’ Longhorn Ballroom marks 75 years appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says a Wisconsin-based electronic health records company has a monopoly over the industry. We’ll have more on the AG’s fight against Epic.Remembering a couple of major figures in the Tejano music world who we lost this past weekend: Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla.Plus, counties are getting new equipment to warn residents before flooding strikes. What is it, and will it help? The post Tejano music mourns two foundational figures appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

He’s been an elected Democrat for over 50 years, but now local party officials in Houston are refusing to endorse Mayor John Whitmire. Unwinding the political drama, today on the Texas Standard.Texas’ new bathroom law effects schools and government-owned buildings, but one reporter found enforcement depends on exactly where you go.Texans Michael and Susan Dell are giving away billions to American kids. Who’s eligible and how the donation will work alongside so-called Trump Accounts.Texas drivers know monarch butterflies all too often end up on our windshields or car grills. Efforts are underway to protect their road crossings.Plus, some environmental concerns for the popular Dinosaur Valley State Park. The post Protecting monarch butterflies on Texas highways appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Texas does not allow people change their gender on driver’s licenses. Those who still try are now being tracked.How the Trump administration is reorganizing the Army to reflect a new focus on Latin America.Professors caution students about relying on AI, but some universities are doing just that to review course content.And a new memoir by the man who helped invent the carefree Cosmic Cowboy movement. Our talk with musician Bob Livingston, plus a reflection on the legacy of Joe Ely, who died Monday. The post Texas collects data on trans residents through state IDs appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

Houston, Fort Worth… Now three more Texas school districts are expected to be taken over by state education officials. Where, why and what comes next?The son of Texas A&M’s campus rabbi is among those critically injured in the mass shooting at Bondi Beach near Sydney, Australia.Mexican citizens who routinely cross into the U.S. at Texas’ southern border to donate plasma may be taking advantage of an immigration loophole.And our own Sarah Asch tells us why a library in a tiny Texas town may be a template for preserving adult education programs nationwide. The post Tiny Texas town’s library could be adult education template appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.